CV career gaps: are they an issue and how to explain them?

The 2020 COVID job retention scheme left 11.6m people facing the challenge of having gaps in their CVs

CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on Robert Half

With a booming job market, more and more people are looking for a new role and many are preparing for questions about how they spent their time during the pandemic. Most employers are understanding, but there are ways you can use any gaps to your benefit and add value to your CV.

What are employers looking for?

Learning: did you take part in a course? Learn a language? Become a fitness fanatic? Show that you took the time to learn about yourself and improve your general skills (particularly if they your support your career progression plans).

Volunteering: show any way you have given back to your local community or, perhaps, donated your time to a cause in need.

Mentoring: proactivity, and a commitment to professional development, will always impress employers (e.g. a course, shadowing, internship etc.)

Blog posting: do or have you shared your knowledge and experience with others? This could be as a part of a dedicated blog or simply on social media (LinkedIn etc.) Show how you have helped others.

Certain situations are unavoidable and, unfortunately, may have prevented you from achieving certain personal or professional development projects whilst on furlough; for example, you may have been caring for, or home-schooling, children. This is not a bad thing and certainly shows commitment and your ability to handle a difficult situation with resilience, while also learning new skills.

Explaining the gaps

• Sickness: mention it, but focus on how you recovered. You could explain how you made sure that, when you were better, you were able to perform well.
• Redundancy: be factual about the situation and avoid any negativity. For example, ‘My role was made redundant, but I used the time to learn a new skill – which makes me a better candidate for future roles.’ 
• Parental leave: maternity or paternity leave is very important and needed. It presents an opportunity to use the time off to your advantage. Home-schooling during lockdown can also be used as an example of learning new skills (teaching, etc.) which make you better-equipped in the workplace.
• Travel: this shows you value a work-life balance, and are interested in learning about new cultures and languages. 

The top five things to remember:

• Turn negatives into positives.
• Show your proactiveness and productivity. 
• Always be willing to try or learn something new.
• Honesty! Lying will almost always be found out.
• Prepare your responses. Potential employers will probably ask why you had a career gap, and what you did, so make sure you’ve practiced a response.